Streptococcus thermophilus LMG 18311

Lactobacilli are normal inhabitants of the gastrointestinal tract of man and animals where they are widely considered to exert a number of beneficial roles including immunomodulation, interference with enteric pathogens, and maintenance of a healthy intestinal microflora. Like other lacid acid bacteria they are acid tolerant, cannot synthesize prophyrins and are strictly fermentative with lactic acid as their major metabolic end product. Streptococcus thermophilus is a Gram-positive facultative anaerobe. It is used, along with Lactobacillus spp., as a starter culture for the manufacture of several important fermented dairy foods, including yogurt and mozzarella. Consequently, over 10(21) live cells are ingested annually by the human population. S. thermophilus has an important role as a probiotic, alleviating symptoms of lactose intolerance and other gastrointestinal disorders. S.thermophilus strain LMG 18311 was isolated from yogurt manufactured in the United Kingdom. (HAMAP: STRT2)